I’m sorry you’re in tough place. Have you considered offering additional security deposit? Independent landlords might be more flexible.

If not, there are services that you can pay to do this. Google lease guarantor.

I don't support fare evasion and am a fellow annoyed, paying rider, but like most public transit systems very little of the operating expenses come from fares (~17%). While there are certainly reasons to enforce, closing a budget gap isn't one of them. In fact, some cities have actually saved money by eliminating fares especially on buses.

Check meetup. There are several hiking/backpacking/outdoors groups. Capital Hiking club has options with transportation.